Firecracker

Firecracker

Copyright 2014 by Desiree Holt

Published by Desiree Holt

Copyright 2014 Cover Art by Croco Designs

Editing and Formatting Services by Wizards in Publishing

All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no
part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form
or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written
permission of the author.

This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons,
living or dead, is purely coincidental.

Firecracker

A Red Hot & BOOM! Story

By

Desiree Holt

The rodeo arena was jammed. Red, white, and blue bunting celebrating the Fourth of
July hung in every available spot, and American flags waved side-by-side with Texas
Lone Star state flags. Between events, the loudspeaker blared patriotic songs from
the Marine Band’s version of the national anthem to Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the
USA.” Rodeo competitors were in the swing of things with their clothing and accessories,
and one penning team even wore red, white, and blue Stetsons.

Crowds had jammed all of the events for three days, screaming wildly for their favorites.
With the rodeo in its final day, the winner of each competition would be the overall
winner of their event, so the excitement level was riding high.

Chad Bailey had just seen the last of the bulls he leased to the circuit loaded onto
trailers for transport to the next stop on the tour. The trucks would be on the road
any minute, so he had a chance to relax and enjoy what was happening.
Enjoy
was definitely the word. He leaned on the pen railing by the entryway and watched
the woman in the glittery red, white, and blue shirt expertly race her horse around
the three barrels in the rodeo ring. Dirt flew from the hooves of her mount as she
wove a precise pattern, and the encouraging shouts of the arena crowd filled the air.

“She sure is a firecracker,” he said to the man standing next to him.

“No doubt.” Brody Hunter nodded in agreement. Chad’s bulls had often helped him win
a number of prizes along the circuit, including today, when he took top honors. Now
he, too, was finished with his obligations and enjoying the show with his friend.

The woman who held their attention, Dani DeLuca, was competing in the finals of barrel
racing on the last day of the Golden Spur Rodeo. Cowboy hat anchored firmly on her
head, long red curls flying behind her, she leaned gracefully one way or the other
as she worked to shave another tenth of a second off her time.

When she finished her run and her time flashed on the big readout, she was two-tenths
of a second ahead of all the other competitors. The crowd roared its approval. Dani
was a perennial favorite of all the rodeo fans. She acknowledged them now by standing
in her stirrups and waving before she trotted back down the entry tunnel.

“Thirteen seconds,” Brody noted. “Damn, that girl is good.”

“She’s been competing a long time, you know. Gets better every single year.” Chad
had been watching her for the last five of those years, mouth watering whenever he
saw the graceful movements of that lithe body.

“You know,” Brody drawled, “I sure do enjoy it when the three of us have dinner together.”

“Me, too.” Chad laughed. “I’d like to have a lot more than dinner with her, though.”

“She’s definitely a tasty treat.” Brody snorted. “Man, whenever I see that woman,
my cock gets so hard I’m afraid it might break off.”

“No shit.” Chad let out a slow breath. “Same here. She’s one fine little package.”
One he’d love to unwrap.

“Amen to that.” Brody rubbed his jaw. “Think she’d be interested in some after-dinner
activities?”

Chad’s cock hardened as images of the three of them naked in bed popped into his head.
He and Brody had frequently shared women, with resulting pleasure for all involved.
If they could convince Firecracker….

“I’ve never heard a breath of a whisper about her,” he said in a slow voice. “Although,
we’re all pretty discreet about our extracurricular activities.”

“I don’t know. We’ve been friends, the three of us, for a long time. I’d hate to do
anything to upset that applecart. What do you think?”

“I think she was giving us some hot, sexy looks the last time we were together. I’d
like to see if there’s anything behind them.”

“You know, we’ve never played games with anyone on the circuit,” Brody pointed out.

“Neither does Dani. We’re all adults here. If she’s into it, and we are, no strings
attached, I think it would be a fine night for all of us. And maybe something we can
repeat now and then.”

“As long as it doesn’t get too heavy, right?”

“We can test the waters at dinner, get a feel for things.”

“I don’t think she’d complicate a situation.” Brody rubbed his jaw. “She’s a smart
cookie. Maybe, like us, all she wants is some smokin’ hot sex with some good friends
she can trust.”

“And if she wants more?”

Brody shrugged. “Who’s to say we wouldn’t want more, too?”

“Then I say let’s see what happens when she’s done here.” Chad smiled to himself as
anticipation curled through him. He’d love to be in bed with a firecracker. “If she
shuts us down, we’ll keep on being friends.” He paused. “But I hope something’s simmering
under the surface.”

“It sure would be nice, though,” Brody drawled, “to find someone we could settle into
a situation with. Know what I mean?”

“I do. We’ve discussed the possibility. We both know all the drawbacks. And finding
the right person to fit into this?” He shook his head. “Damn near impossible.”

“Yeah, but one can still hope.” Brody sighed then nudged him. “Here’s the last competitor.
Let’s see how she does.”

“Damn. It’s the champ. Be nice if Firecracker’s time held up.”

The men turned back to the ring as the final contestant was announced. The woman had
taken top honors more times than they could count, but Firecracker had beaten her
out a few times recently. They watched intently as she completed the cloverleaf pattern
around the barrels then focused on the scoreboard, along with the rest of the audience.

“Holy shit,” Chad breathed as the lights blinked.

“Amen to that.” Brody stared at the numbers. The board showed the contestant’s time
as fifteen seconds. “Firecracker just beat the champ.”

“Hot damn.”

“Ladies and gentlemen.” The announcer’s voice boomed out over the arena. “Today’s
winner and Golden Spur Rodeo barrel racing rodeo champ is Dani DeLuca. Dani, come
on out for your victory ride. Folks, let’s hear it for Firecracker.”

“Here she comes.” Chad elbowed his friend.

In celebration of the Fourth of July, laser lights in red, white, and blue danced
over the arena and from the sound system came the familiar strains of “God Bless America.”
Chad watched the entrance to the ring, and in moments, here she came, Firecracker
herself, standing in her stirrups as she rode around the ring. Her mouth was curved
in a wide grin, and she pumped one fist in victory. Then she pulled her mount to a
halt right in the center and waited for one of the judges to walk out, shake her hand,
and present her with her award.

“Let’s have a hand for this year’s Golden Spur barrel racing champ,” the announcer
boomed. “Dani DeLuca. Firecracker, herself.”

The applause was thunderous as she circled the ring one last time then rode out of
the arena. Chad and Brody clapped hard and emitted raucous whistles.

Chad smiled. “Seems fitting Firecracker should win on the Fourth of July, don’t you
think?”

“I do,” Brody acknowledged. “Think she might be interested in us taking her out for
a celebration?”

“Now that’s the best idea you’ve had in a while.” Chad stared into the arena. “I’ll
bet that name Firecracker really suits her, and not for just her red hair.”

Chad raised most of the bulls Brody rode on the rodeo circuit, and the men had become
good friends. They shared a passion for the sport. One other thing they’d discovered
they shared a passion for was sharing women. Both had a lot of experience as partners
in a ménage and by now were used to each other’s needs and signals. They had enjoyed
many pleasurable evenings on the circuit and always made sure the women involved were
well satisfied.

They had been drawn to Dani for some time, not only by her mouthwatering body but
also her spirit and enjoyment of life. The time, however, had never seemed quite right.

“Maybe we can take her to the rodeo’s big Fourth of July party tonight,” Brody suggested.

“And carry on the celebration after that. “ Chad headed down the exit corridor. “Come
on. Let’s go track her down now.”

Dani rode out of the arena, exhilaration pumping through her veins. First place! Lordy,
she’d wanted this one in the worst way. Although she’d beaten the champ a few times
in the past couple of years, the best she’d finished in this particular rodeo was
second. And the Golden Spur held a special place in her heart. It was the first rodeo
she’d ever competed in and the last one where her dad had watched her before he died.
She’d wanted to win this one for him as well as herself. Tonight definitely called
for a celebration. Something extra special.

Unbidden, images of Chad Bailey and Brody Hunter flashed into her mind. Damn, those
were two very sexy men, Chad with his golden good looks and broad shoulders, Brody
as dark as Chad was light and so lean and muscular. They had two things in common,
however. Both were ultimate alpha males, and both of them set off sparks inside her
that made every erogenous zone in her body sit up and beg.

She’d had dinner with them several times over the past couple of years. They were
always fun to be with and never did one single thing to indicate an interest of a
sexual nature. But she was sure she saw desire flaring in Chad’s chocolate brown eyes
and Brody’s black-as-onyx ones.

Dani had never been in a ménage. Never experienced one, although she’d heard other
women on the circuit talk about them in discreet tones. She’d read about them in the
erotic romance novels that were her secret vice, including situations where the arrangement
became permanent. She didn’t know how she’d wrap her mind around something like that.
In fact, she wasn’t sure she’d ever find
one
person to settle down with.

But a threesome for a night? Or two? Tantalizing. Not that she was a sexual novice,
although her experiences were limited by choice. The last thing she wanted was gossip
circulating about her. And maintaining a relationship in this environment was damn
hard work. So, she had a pretty hard-and-fast rule about playtime on the circuit,
preferring instead to hook up with longtime friends in some of the cities on the tour.
If any men could change her mind, though, it was Chad and Brody.

This is the Fourth of July. Don’t I deserve to live up to my name? Enjoy some real
fireworks?

She’d known them for a long time, and sometimes she wondered—

People coming by to congratulate her interrupted her mental wanderings. By the time
she dismounted and walked Rosie to her stall, well-wishers surrounded her, hugging
her and shaking her hand. This victory brought with it a special feeling of exhilaration.
Tonight, at the party, she’d really be celebrating. She finally had her tack removed
and Rosie brushed down, fed, and watered.

“We did good today, girl.” She hugged the horse’s head and stroked the soft white
blaze on her face. Tomorrow, she’d hitch up the trailer and they’d be off to the next
stop.

“Great riding today, Firecracker.”

Chad and Brody stood at the stall door.

Speak of the devils.

“Thanks.” She gave her horse a quick kiss. “But I think most of the credit goes to
Rosie here.” She slipped her arm through the straps of the bridle and lifted the saddle
from the stall door where she’d stashed it for the moment.

“How about if we give you a hand there?” Brody offered, taking the saddle from her.

“I can do it.” She reached to take it back.

“I know. But my grandma used to say many hands made light work.”

“Besides,” Chad put in, “how often do you get two studs to help you?”

Dani laughed. “Studs, huh? You guys have a pretty high opinion of yourselves.”

“We’ve been told,” Brody laughed, “but I’ll never say by who.”

Chad took Rosie’s bridle from her. When their hands connected, a jolt like the explosion
of a firecracker sizzled through her body. Heat flared in his eyes. Her breath lodged
in her throat, and her pulse suddenly beat so loud she was sure he could hear it.
When he moved his hand away, she felt an unexpected sense of loss.

With the men carrying her tack for her, she slid past them and locked the stall door.
These two definitely made her hormones sit up and take way too much notice. She’d
known them for a long time and constantly battled her attraction to them. Not only
that, they were among the few men she trusted completely, so either or both of them
could make her break that rule. She had to be really careful around them. Her recent
daydream slammed into her, and heat crept up her cheeks, making her turn away from
them.

Get it together, Dani. Maybe they’re just being polite and friendly.

She blew out a breath and turned back to them. Then Chad smiled at her, a slow, lazy
curving of his lips that made her body tingle and all her special places dance. The
man was positively lethal, with his sun-streaked blond hair, chocolate-brown eyes,
and broad shoulders.

“We came to congratulate you.” His words disrupted her thoughts.